Below is a list of my rewatch-reviews of specific Doctor Who episodes that are separated into two collections: 'Her Name was Rose' and 'Best of the Rest." My rewatch-reviews offer a bit more than a reaction post to a first-time watched episode. After my rewatch, I write up full-length reviews that include analysis of the characters, plot, writing, direction, acting and the overall feel. In the case of the 'Her Name was Rose' collection, I also offer up an indepth examination of the Doctor/Rose relationship. In addition, screencaps and video clips are often included within the text ... which, by the way, tends to be very lengthy.
Here is the full list of each collection that I'll be rewatching and reviewing, as well as an explanation for missing episodes and why the inclusion of others. As I write them, I'll link to each episode.
"Her Name Was Rose" Collection
- Rose
- The End of the World
- The Unquiet Dead
- Aliens of London
- World War Three
- Dalek
- The Long Game
- Father's Day
- The Empty Child
- The Doctor Dances
- Boom Town
- Bad Wolf
- The Parting of the Ways
- The New Doctor (ie, 2005 "Christmas in Need" special)
- The Christmas Invasion
- New Earth
- Tooth and Claw
- School Reunion
- Rise of the Cybermen
- The Age of Steel
- The Idiot's Lantern
- The Impossible Planet
- The Satan Pit
- Love & Monsters
- Fear Her
- Army of Ghosts
- Doomsday
- The Runaway Bride
- The Shakespeare Code
- Utopia
- Partners in Crime
- Midnight
- Turn Left
- The Stolen Earth
- Journey's End
Why is "The Girl in the Fireplace" not on the list?
You may have noticed that I did not include series two episode, "The Girl in the Fireplace." I chose not to do so because the tone, characterization of the Doctor and Rose just do NOT fit continuity-wise with the episodes prior and after it. The Doctor is written and acted as in love with Rose from mid-series-one on and it's ESPECIALLY obvious in the first three episodes of series two. And then all of a sudden he's all impressed and gaga and fancying this other woman, while Rose is left on her own and the Doctor doesn't seem to care.
Then he leaves Rose -- the episode AFTER he swears he will never leave her -- to jaunt off and save the woman (and history, yes, but it came off as if the history was just an afterthought, it was all about saving Reinette). Then he plans on bringing her aboard the TARDIS without any thought to how that would affect Rose. And then when he's too late and she died, he's all misty-eyed, emo and broken up over a chick he spent less than ten hours with total as if they had this great love story WHEN ROSE IS STANDING RIGHT THERE!
Finally, to top it all off, Rose didn't WANT Mickey to come with them at the end of the last episode -- which Steven Moffat would have known if he'd read the script for episode three ("School Reunion"), which he admitted he did not. Yet, at the end we have Rose looking all 'oh, poor Doctor, he lost his love,' while holding hands with Mickey as if they are still firmly entrenched as boyfriend and girlfriend.
Emotional and character lack of continuity, thy name is "Girl in the Fireplace." I watched the episode twice, I was bothered by that lack and it made me think of the Doctor as a complete git and I don't want to do that again. So therefore, I won't be watching it and spending hours ranting and raving in a review about that lack of character and emotional continuity for its placement in the series when I'm doing this for fun.
The sad thing is that it COULD and SHOULD have been perfectly placed in the series had Moffat had the Doctor use Reinette as he was using Mickey (and tried with Sarah Jane) in the last episode as a buffer between he and Rose. Or if even David Tennant had played it that way. That would have PERFECTLY carried over the emotional and character continuity, but instead, Moffat wrote and Tennant acted out a tragically beautiful love story between the Doctor and Madame Du Pompadour ... in between seventeen episodes prior and nine episodes and two more series' following of a love story between the Doctor and Rose Tyler.
Hey! Rose isn't even in "'The Shakespeare Code" or "Utopia!"
Speaking of that love story, while I know that Rose doesn't show up in either "The Shakespeare Code" or "Utopia," there is (I feel) important mention of her in each episode -- especially "Utopia" -- in relation to her relationship with the Doctor. Yes, Rose's name comes up in other episodes of series three, but I feel that it is in these two that her absence and/or presence is most relevant to the character's importance.
Finally, I decided to include "Midnight" because (a) he DOES mention Rose's name, (b) we DO see Rose on the screen behind him and it is the first time since "Doomsday" that we technically saw them in the same scene together, and (c) it's a really, really, really good episode that does lead nicely into the final three.
"Best of the Rest" Collection *
- 42
- Blink
- Planet of the Ood
* More to possibly be added as I do a rewatch of series three and four as well.
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- Arabian (
arabian) wrote,